Which Has Better Bone-In Fried Chicken: Popeyes Or KFC?

Jenny Kellerhals Keogh/Mashed

If you ask a dozen people where to find the best fried chicken, you are likely to receive a handful of different recommendations, from local favorites to national and even international chain restaurants. But if you were to narrow down the question to just KFC or Popeyes, the opinions on which restaurant has the best fried chicken may get a bit more heated.

No matter where you go in the U.S., there is likely to be a Kentucky Fried Chicken or a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen nearby, if not both. It's estimated that there are just over 4,000 KFC locations in the U.S., and nearly 3,200 Popeyes locations across the country — so it's no surprise that these two fried chicken giants dominate the game.

To find out which of these two brands' fried chicken is truly the best, I tasted side-by-side orders of KFC's Original Recipe fried chicken and Popeyes' Signature Chicken, paying meticulous attention to the differences and subtleties in every crispy bite. While I'm not one to turn down a plate of chicken tenders, this particular taste test was limited to bone-in fried chicken pieces only, for the juiciest, most flavorful sample of what each restaurant has to offer. Read on to find out how the participants were judged, and ultimately, which chain truly has the best fried chicken.

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For the most direct comparison of the KFC Original Recipe fried chicken and Popeyes Signature Chicken, I ordered a mixed-piece meal from each restaurant, without customizations, at the same exact time. (It helps that both restaurants are located steps away from each other in my neighborhood.) Hot and fresh out of their respective fryers, I first tasted the chicken pieces side-by-side, then again individually to pick up on any special nuances that make each fried chicken unique. With plenty of fried chicken on my hands, I tasted both versions again, reheated in the air fryer the next day to see how each fared as leftovers.

While I've enjoyed my fair share of fried chicken from both restaurants over the years, I put subjective feelings aside and relied on specific observations in this taste test to narrow down the winner. The main considerations included the crispiness of the fried batter, the juiciness of the cooked chicken, the seasoning and unique flavors, and the overall greasiness of each fried chicken option. Secondary considerations included the preparation and sauce options, price and combo options offered, and a look at the nutritional information of each brand for any additional details.

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Not including the enticing aroma of fresh, hot, fried chicken, the crispiness of the golden batter is the first thing you'll come in contact with — so it had better be good. Without taking a single bite, it's clear that Popeyes and KFC have gone in different directions when it comes to their fried chicken batters. Popeyes Signature Chicken is crusted with a thicker, lighter, and much crunchier batter than KFC's Original Recipe chicken. In contrast, the KFC batter is delicately crisp, thinner, and darker in color (but not burnt), most likely from cooking faster during the frying process.

As someone who enjoys a substantial amount of crunchy batter and crispy skin with their fried chicken, the Popeyes offering delivered enough crispiness with every bite to keep me satisfied. With that said, those who want to get to the meat of their meal, literally, will likely prefer the thinner, but still perfectly crunchy coating on KFC's fried chicken.

Where things get a little less subjective is when it comes to leftovers. The thicker Popeyes batter kept its crunchy finish longer in the refrigerator and reheated without any issues. KFC's crispy finish became noticeably softer when stored in the refrigerator overnight, although it managed to regain some of its crunchiness when reheated in the air fryer. If you plan on having leftovers, Popeyes will provide the best crispiness now, and tomorrow.

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The ideal fried chicken has a crispy battered crust that gives way to juicy, flavorful chicken meat. Both light and dark meat should be equally juicy, in an ideal world, although it wouldn't be surprising to find white meat pieces slightly drier than their dark meat counterparts, since white meat tends to have less fat than dark meat. Personally, I'll reach for a thigh or a drumstick every time, which is exactly where I started during this tasting. I found that the Popeyes and KFC dark meat pieces were equally juicy, especially hot out of the fryer.

The only difference I noticed in the overall moisture level between the chicken pieces, was from the Popeyes breast piece, which was ever-so-slightly drier than the other pieces I tried. The difference was very small, not unusual, and only noticeable after the chicken pieces had cooled down, but it's worth noting for those who tend to reach for white meat pieces over dark.

All of the fried chicken pieces were drier after reheating for about six minutes in the air fryer the next day, although none of the pieces were so dry that they became inedible. Since the juiciness level of all fried chicken is bound to drop off when reheating, regardless of which restaurant you order from, you might want to consider having some dipping sauces on hand to boost the general moisture level of your fried chicken leftovers.

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Hot and fresh out of the bucket, KFC's Original Recipe chicken is glistening with fryer oil. The Popeyes Signature Chicken is just as hot, but has less of an oily sheen to it. You'll need plenty of napkins, regardless of which chicken you choose, but if you're looking for a less greasy fried chicken, Popeyes seems like the better option at first.

Not to rely on first impressions alone, I performed a rudimentary grease test by leaving two similarly sized pieces of fried chicken thighs on identical paper napkins for about five minutes, then removed them to see which left the larger oil stains behind. As expected, the KFC chicken left a noticeably larger grease mark, confirming my suspicion that it is the greasier of the two options.

That's not to say that Popeye's chicken has less oil in it from the frying process. It's entirely possible that the thicker fried chicken batter absorbs more oil than the thinner KFC crust does, and it's just not as visible. Or perhaps the Popeye's chicken is drained longer, coming out of the fryer, before getting boxed up to serve. Either way, the Popeyes Signature Chicken comes out on top as the less greasy of the two options.

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It's no secret that KFC uses a blend of 11 herbs and spices to create its legendary Original Recipe flavor profile, and we've even found out which herbs and spices they probably are. Even so, the exact formula is still a closely guarded secret, including from those in the brand's highest ranks. 

Popeyes is even more elusive when it comes to its special blend of herbs and spices, except to say that it's made with traditional Louisiana herbs and seasoning, and there's an emphasis on Cajun flavors across the menu. At one point, Popeyes even offered packets of "Cajun Sparkle" seasoning to sprinkle on top of your chicken (and anything else you wanted a little extra Cajun heat on), but it wasn't confirmed to be the same spice mix used on the actual fried chicken.

KFC's Original Recipe fried chicken is perfectly salty with subtle pops of pepper and spices, making it clear why fans have so desperately tried to crack the code to the 11 herbs and spices over the years. The Popeyes chicken leans more towards a big buttery flavor, which is also perfectly salted, but with less noticeable spice in the mix. Neither the Original Recipe from KFC nor the Popeyes Signature Chicken is what I'd consider spicy in the hot pepper sense of the word, but if you're looking for the fried chicken choice with the most dynamic seasoning flavors, KFC's chicken comes out on top.

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Both KFC and Popeyes offer variations of their featured fried chicken to appeal to a wider audience. When it comes to preparation, you have the option to order your chicken "Extra Crispy" at KFC, which is done by double-breading the chicken and frying it in an open fryer rather than a pressure fryer. This creates a thicker, crispier crust on the chicken, which would absolutely appeal to those who love the flavor of KFC's fried chicken but wish there was a bit more crunch than the Original Recipe preparation has to offer. Additionally, KFC offers a whole slew of sauces to dress your chicken up with, including Classic Ranch, Buffalo Ranch, Honey BBQ, Honey Mustard, KFC Sauce, Sticky Chicky Sweet n' Sour Sauce, Comeback Sauce, Honey, and Ketchup.

Popeyes' Signature Chicken is plenty crispy enough as it is, but for those looking for a little more heat with their fried chicken, a spicy preparation is available alongside the classic preparation. It's not Nashville hot, but it's hot enough that it has garnered a following all on its own, especially in the form of Popeyes Spicy Chicken Sandwich. And if you can't decide which option you're in the mood for, you can even order your chicken half classic and half spicy, depending on the size of your order. Additional sauces include Popeyes Signature Sauce, BoldBQ Sauce, Buttermilk Ranch, Blackened Ranch, Sweet Heat, Wild Honey Mustard, Bayou Buffalo, Tartar, and Cocktail Sauce.

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The price of your fried chicken might not have a direct effect on how it tastes, but it's certainly an important consideration for many looking for a tasty and cost-effective meal. Prices will vary depending on the location you order from, whether you order in-store or for delivery, and even by the city you live in. But for reference, these prices are based on my local KFC and Popeyes restaurants in Queens, NYC.

My local KFC offers chicken-only buckets in 8, 12, and 16-piece counts for $22.99, $32.49, and $42.49, respectively. Additionally, chicken by the piece is available, ranging from $2.69 to $4.19, depending on the type of piece you order (wing, thigh, drum, or breast). Popeyes doesn't offer individual chicken pieces, but it does offer chicken-only boxes with 2, 3, 4, 8, 12, and 16-piece options. Prices for the 8, 12, and 16-piece boxes are $31.19, $39.89, and $49.89, respectively.

But who can truly enjoy fried chicken without some sides? Not to mention you'll likely get a better deal when ordering a combo or family meal. An 8-piece Chicken Meal from KFC includes two large sides and four biscuits for $30.99, whereas an 8-piece Classic Signature Chicken Family Meal from Popeyes includes one large side dish and four buttermilk biscuits for $32.99.

There are a wide variety of combo options from both restaurants, and both regularly offer impressive meal deals to entice customers to order. But when it comes to the regular menu, an order from Popeyes will likely be more expensive.

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When it comes to nutrition information, both KFC and Popeyes make it easy to calculate what's in your meal. A single 172-gram piece of KFC Original Recipe chicken breast has about 390 calories, with 21 grams of fat, 120 mg of cholesterol, 1190 mg of sodium, 11 grams of carbohydrates, and a whopping 39 grams of protein. A 104-gram Original Recipe chicken thigh has 280 calories, with 19 grams of fat, 100 mg of cholesterol, 910 mg of sodium, 8 grams of carbohydrates, and 19 grams of protein.

A Popeyes Signature Chicken breast (size unspecified) has 380 calories, 20 grams of fat, 125 mg of cholesterol, 1230 mg of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, and 35 grams of protein. A Signature Chicken thigh has 280 calories, 21 grams of fat, 50 mg of cholesterol, 640 mg of sodium, 7 grams of carbohydrates, and 14 grams of protein.

Looking at these numbers a little more critically, it's important to point out a few things: First, these are all just estimates, because no two pieces of fried chicken are exactly the same. Second, while KFC specifies the size of its chicken pieces in the provided nutrition information, Popeyes does not — so we don't really know what we're comparing. Assuming these averages are all roughly equal, KFC's Original Recipe chicken has only slightly more calories, and notably more protein than Popeyes' Signature Chicken. Fat, cholesterol, sodium, and carbohydrates vary widely between brands and chicken pieces. Based on protein count alone, KFC offers more in both samples than Popeyes.

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I truly didn't know whether KFC or Popeyes would take the top spot for the best bone-in fried chicken before conducting this taste test. Even while sampling each chicken and making a list of each option's pros and cons, I still wasn't convinced that either option was better — it was that close. So I took it category-by-category to determine a winner.

Popeyes' Signature Chicken won when it came to crispiness, and greasiness (or lack thereof), while KFC's Original Recipe fried chicken won when it came to juiciness, seasoning, price, and protein. Additional flavors and preparation options was a draw, since those were not included in this particular tasting. With that said, juiciness and seasoning weighed slightly higher in my estimation than crispiness and greasiness, making KFC's Original Recipe fried chicken the ultimate winner in this bone-in fried chicken mash-up.

Given how popular both of these brands are, and how closely each option edged out the other in each category, this is bound to be a controversial take. I will continue to order Popeyes for the big crunch factor with a large side of macaroni and cheese for as long as I live, even if it costs more. Additionally, I'll likely always order Extra Crispy chicken from KFC with a side of mashed potatoes and extra gravy when the mood strikes.